1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to compositions and non-mechanical methods for preventing dry drains and consequent problems associated therewith. The invention is particularly advantageous for sealing drains that are left dormant for several months.
2. Description of Relevant Art
Essentially all plumbing fixtures including sinks, bathtubs, toilets, and floor drains must be equipped with either an internal or external trap. A trap is an integral component of a fixture's drainpipe and is designed to retain an appropriate amount of fluid such as water after the greater portion of the fluid has been evacuated from the fixture. The fluid evacuated from a fixture flows through the fixture's drainpipe and trap and subsequently enters a comprehensive drainage system. The comprehensive drainage system is comprised of a series of linked pipes that eventually and most often terminate in a locale where potable water or sewage is processed. The drainage system commences and therefore is open at one or more fixtures. Because pipes are never filled to capacity by the fluids that are being evacuated, all drainage systems have a gaseous atmosphere that can be toxic and at the very least, noxious; simultaneously, the atmosphere inside the drainage system can support living organisms and their procreation. However, as noted above, in close proximity to each fixture there is a trap that is an integral part of the fixture's dedicated drainpipe that in turn is connected to a comprehensive drainage system. By design, the fluid that fills a trap serves as a barricade that will not allow noxious gases and living organisms to pass from the comprehensive drainage system into a fixture through its drain opening to become a nuisance in the structure that is accommodated by the fixture.
Most if not all of the fluids that might commonly fill a trap, namely and most commonly water, will evaporate within weeks if the drain is not used so that the fluids are replenished. Once the fluid has evaporated and the upper portion of the trap becomes exposed, noxious gases and living organisms will be able to pass from the comprehensive drainage system into a fixture through the drain opening and then potentially negatively impact the health and wellbeing of those who will occupy the structure that is accommodated by the fixture.
Sealants have been proposed for introduction into drain traps to prevent evaporation of fluids in the traps. Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2009-127355, of Igarashi Taakao et al, published Jun. 11, 2009, and United States Patent Application Publication No. 2011/0162720 A1, of Ueno, published Jul. 7, 2011, provide examples of such sealants. FIG. 2 generally depicts the principals of such prior art. These sealants, as illustrated in FIG. 2, comprise water 22, oil 20 and a surfactant 24 and are generally believed to create an emulsion 26 to lay on top of the water 22 or other fluid already in the trap 32, particularly water 22 in the drain trap 32 on the fixture side 36 of the trap. The oil 20 in the emulsion 26 prevents evaporation of the water 22 immediately beneath the emulsion 26. A problem with such sealants, however, is that the emulsion does not typically also extend to the top 28 of the fluid on the other side 30 of the trap 32, leaving the fluid in the trap 32 vulnerable to evaporation from that side 30. Efforts to substitute oil 20 for water 22 in the trap 32 has the consequence of being difficult to flush when the drain 34 is ultimately used, resulting in clogging of the drain 34. Mechanical sealants have also been proposed, but these are cumbersome to use.
A need continues to exist for improved methods and products to temporarily seal drains to be left dormant for a number of months.